belfast

Belfast Transport Guide

Belfast’s public transport system still harbours small-town traits, or in other words, is a little hit-and-miss. Metro bus is the main company within the central city district and its different routes are colour- coded making navigating the surrounding areas fairly simple. Taxis are always present in the city and catching one is easy and reasonably cheap. A quirky tradition in the city is the option to cab share at official stations. The cost is low and a flat rate is charged no matter how far the journey is along the set route.

How to get around Belfast

When catching a bus in Belfast, it’s advisable to visit Donegall Square in the city where there is a ticket booth and travel information centre. Here, you can pick up a prepaid Smartcard to save money if you plan on taking multiple trips. Buses run regularly from 6am until 11pm, however, there are no late-night services except for the airport route. For a sightseeing trip, board the open-top red sightseeing bus, which will take you to the city’s most notable places including the Harland and Wolff boatyard where the Titanic was built and Belfast’s once tense political battlegrounds. A tour usually lasts around 2 hours. The train service in Belfast doesn’t pass local points of interest and instead focuses on destinations further afield across the country. Another small-town trait is the odd yet popular Black Taxi Tours. Basically, Belfast taxi drivers, locals of the area for many decades, offer personal guided tours and give fascinating personal accounts of how the landscape has changed and the areas that are important to Belfast city.